After leaving the Hokage Building, Kakashi walked through the streets of Konoha with Uchiha Hikari.
Kakashi needed to buy some daily necessities for Uchiha Hikari, since no woman had lived in the Hatake household for over a decade.
Not to mention humans—even the eight ninja dogs Kakashi kept were all male.
Strolling down Konoha's main street, with the 200,000 ryo from his recent mission reward tucked away in his pocket, Kakashi could finally say goodbye to the tough times he'd been facing lately, at least for a little while.
Thinking about the eight ninja dogs in his backyard, Kakashi couldn't help but speak up at that moment.
"I keep eight ninja dogs at home, Hikari. Don't be afraid—they're ninja dogs, and they don't bite."
"We'll pick up some bones for them later. For some special reasons recently, I've stopped feeding them temporarily and let them fend for themselves out there."
"Hikari..."
"Hikari?"
Kakashi noticed no one was responding and felt a bit puzzled. He turned around to see the black-haired girl, her locks cascading like a waterfall, standing motionless in front of a small stall, her eyes locked on the grilled squid displayed there.
Uh... Kakashi was left a little speechless by the sight.
Ever since the Uchiha great-grandmother had been unsealed, it seemed like she was making up for lost time—her mouth hadn't stopped moving.
"This customer, my squid is the best in the village."
"Would you like to buy one?"
The vendor looked enthusiastically at Uchiha Hikari in front of him.
Uchiha Hikari blinked as she gazed at the finished grilled squid on display at the stall, then turned to look at Kakashi, who was walking over to them.
"Buy one."
Kakashi pointed at the Uchiha girl.
"Alright!"
The vendor immediately broke into a wide smile.
Not long after, the squid was grilled and handed to Hikari. After Kakashi paid, the two were about to leave when a team of Konoha security forces, dressed in Uchiha clan uniforms, approached the vendor's stall with clear purpose.
Hikari, taking a bite of her squid, couldn't help but glance their way several times.
Her gaze met the eyes of Uchiha Inaho, who was leading the group.
Is that one of the little girls from the clan...? Uchiha Inaho didn't think much of the scene; he'd had his eye on this guy for a while now, the one who'd dared to set up his stall again after being warned last time.
If Kakashi hadn't been there buying something with someone, he would have already come over and confiscated the vendor's stall.
"Sirs, sirs, Uchiha lords, this..."
The stall owner looked nervously at the security team members who had surrounded him.
"Did you completely ignore what I told you last time?"
Uchiha Inaho narrowed his eyes at the stall owner.
"I, I..."
The stall owner was at a loss for words, reduced to begging for mercy, hoping the people in front of him would let him off the hook.
However, his pleas didn't elicit any sympathy from the Uchiha clan members. At Uchiha Inaho's command, several of them moved to forcibly take away his stall.
The small stall owner tried to stop them but was knocked to the ground by a punch from Uchiha Inaho.
The surrounding residents had long been furious about this kind of scene but didn't dare speak out.
Hikari, standing next to Kakashi, blinked as she watched it unfold. She wanted to step forward and save the vendor's stall, but her hand was grabbed, halting her movement.
Without much explanation, Kakashi pulled Hikari away from the area.
Kakashi glanced back and saw the girl craning her neck to look at him, so he began to explain.
"The Uchiha security forces are in charge of village management, and dealing with vendors is part of their job."
"Even if the process is violent, they only care about the results."
Listening to Kakashi's words, Hikari seemed a bit dazed and said, "Is that how it is?"
Though she didn't know why, Hikari instinctively felt that the Uchiha clan's actions were wrong.
"The village already has a lot of complaints about the Uchiha clan's methods. I believe it won't be long before they're reformed."
"Now, let's go get you some new clothes."
"After all, you can't run around the streets all day in that Uchiha clan uniform."
Kakashi comforted the girl.
As for the so-called Uchiha clan reform?
The entire clan was reformed.
"Oh..."
Hikari nodded, only half understanding.
She didn't quite grasp what Kakashi meant.
But to Hikari, this person who had released her seal and protected her in a critical moment wasn't a bad guy.
Finishing the food in her mouth in a few quick bites, Hikari let Kakashi lead her to buy clothes.
If possible, Hikari didn't want to wear this Uchiha clan uniform anymore either.
Now, she didn't want any connection to the Uchiha clan.
Kakashi was very efficient, and aside from food, Hikari wasn't one to dawdle. With the clothing store owner's recommendations, he bought several sets of everyday clothes for Hikari.
In addition, he went to the market and bought dozens of pounds of bones for the eight ninja dogs at home.
He also picked up some fruits, snacks, and other treats for Hikari.
The two returned to the Hatake household. Kakashi tidied up a room for Hikari, then called his ninja dogs and tossed the bones to them.
Once everything was settled, Kakashi finally had time to handle his own matters.
The insights on training the five nature transformations that Hiruzen Sarutobi had given him earlier.
As usual, Kakashi sat on the wooden veranda by the house, with scrolls laid out one after another beside him. He gazed at the scroll on Wind Release training in his hand.
Cutting.
As expected from the Sarutobi clan's lineage. In the original story, Asuma Sarutobi's understanding of Wind Release had also come from Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Compared to Asuma Sarutobi, an elite jonin, Hiruzen Sarutobi's understanding of Wind Release was more thorough, more subtle, and more precise.
More than just cutting, Hiruzen Sarutobi believed that Wind Release required sharpness above all.
Like a blade, slicing through everything.
Looking at the scroll in his hand, filled with the philosophy of Wind Release chakra, Kakashi finally let out a sigh as the sun began to set.
He was ready to start practicing.
Stepping into the courtyard, he casually picked a green leaf, closed his eyes, and envisioned sharpness and cutting in his mind. Chakra instantly infused the ordinary green leaf.
When he opened his eyes, the scene came into view.
The green leaf in his hand had been cut in half by the chakra, but the other half remained intact.
Staring at the green leaf in his hand, Kakashi wasn't discouraged.
Achieving this level on the first try was already a sign of exceptional talent.
With a few more attempts, Kakashi was confident he could cut it completely.
Just as Kakashi was about to continue, a voice came from behind him.
"Kakashi... it's time for dinner."
The black-haired girl had appeared on the veranda at some point, speaking calmly to the young man in front of her.
"Coming."
Kakashi responded.
He was no longer alone in the house.
However, just as Kakashi was about to prepare dinner for Hikari, there was a knock at the Hatake household's door.
Kakashi paused on his way to the kitchen and headed toward the door instead.
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